Overriding delayed electric vehicle charging events

• US 9,156,367 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Inventors: Matsuno, Craig, Kothavale, Shantanu R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowers, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US13/646,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20130088199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,101 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electric vehicle charging station that supports delayed charging overrides. In one embodiment, to support delayed charging override in an electric vehicle charging station that requires authorization, after authentication is successful (e.g., the electric vehicle operator is authorized) and the electric vehicle is detected (e.g., the charging cord has been plugged into the charging port of the electric vehicle), the charging station begins a plug out timer for the electric vehicle operator to unplug the charging cord from the charging port of the electric vehicle and then begins a plug-in timer for the electric vehicle operator to plug the charging cord back into the charging port of the electric vehicle. If the electric vehicle operator does so within the periods of the timers, the charging session will not end and the delayed charging will be overridden.

Claims

1. A method in an electric vehicle charging station to support delayed charging override, comprising:

receiving a request for charging service from an electric vehicle operator, wherein the request for charging service includes an identifier;

determining, based at least in part on the identifier, that the electric vehicle operator is authorized to use the electric vehicle charging station; and

responsive to detecting that an electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station, performing the following;

starting a plug-out timer,

responsive to determining that the electric vehicle has been disconnected prior to the plug-out timer expiring, starting a plug-in timer, and

responsive to determining that the electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station prior to the plug-in timer expiring, maintaining a charging session during which charging of the electric vehicle may occur, without requiring the electric vehicle operator to re-authorize.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station includes determining that voltage on a pilot circuit is a predefined amount.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the electric vehicle has been disconnected from the electric vehicle charging station includes determining that the voltage on the pilot circuit is not the predefined amount.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a value of the plug-out timer is configured by a system administrator or an owner of the electric vehicle charging station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a value of the plug-in timer is configured by a system administrator or an owner of the electric vehicle charging station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is associated with an operator of the electric vehicle.

7. An electric vehicle charging station, comprising:

a set of one or more processors; and

a set of one or more non-transitory storage mediums that are coupled to the set of processors and are configured to store instructions that, when executed by the set of processors, perform the following operations;

receive a request for charging service from an electric vehicle operator, wherein the request for charging service includes an identifier;

determine, based at least in part on the identifier, that the electric vehicle operator is authorized to use the electric vehicle charging station; and

responsive to a detection that an electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station, perform the following;

start a plug-out timer,

responsive to a determination that the electric vehicle has been disconnected prior to the plug-out timer expiring, start a plug-in timer, and

responsive to a determination that the electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station prior to the plug-in timer expiring, maintain a charging session during which charging of the electric vehicle may occur, without requiring the electric vehicle operator to re-authorize.

8. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 7, wherein the determination that the electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station includes a determination that voltage on a pilot circuit is a predefined amount.

9. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 8, wherein the determination that the electric vehicle has been disconnected from the electric vehicle charging station includes a determination that the voltage on the pilot circuit is not the predefined amount.

10. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 7, wherein a value of the plug-out timer is configured by a system administrator or an owner of the electric vehicle charging station.

11. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 7, wherein a value of the plug-in timer is configured by a system administrator or an owner of the electric vehicle charging station.

12. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 7, wherein the identifier is associated with an operator of the electric vehicle.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for charging service from an electric vehicle operator, wherein the request for charging service includes an identifier;

determining, based at least in part on the identifier, that the electric vehicle operator is authorized to use an electric vehicle charging station; and

responsive to detecting that an electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station, performing the following;

starting a plug-out timer,

responsive to determining that the electric vehicle has been disconnected prior to the plug-out timer expiring, starting a plug-in timer, and

responsive to determining that the electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station prior to the plug-in timer expiring, maintaining a charging session during which charging of the electric vehicle may occur, without requiring the electric vehicle operator to re-authorize.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining that the electric vehicle has been connected to the electric vehicle charging station includes determining that voltage on a pilot circuit is a predefined amount.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein determining that the electric vehicle has been disconnected from the electric vehicle charging station includes determining that the voltage on the pilot circuit is not the predefined amount.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein a value of the plug-out timer is configured by a system administrator or an owner of the electric vehicle charging station.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein a value of the plug-in timer is configured by a system administrator or an owner of the electric vehicle charging station.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the identifier is associated with an operator of the electric vehicle.